Pros of front crossmember swap?

[Racur96]

Hi guys, I've got a 63 c10 swb, what's so good about the front crossmember swap 73-87? I want to stay 6 lug but I have found the disc brake spindle kit & ps conversion kit for my own 63 front end & I'll be going with air ride. Is the front crossmember just a cheaper alternative or does it have specific advantages?

[PGSigns]

Couple of things. They are on rubber bushings, balljoints and tie rods are a little bigger, the ubolts for the lower cross shaft are bigger, the bolts for the attachment of the upper arm are longer making it easier to align, you can still find a drag link if you need one and the idler arm is bigger. And they are everywhere in the junk yards around here.
Jimmy

[64shortbox]

As PGSigns said,
Plus you can assemble/rebuild your entire front suspension while still being able to Drive your Truck! That way if there're any delays in your plans (this happens to me a LOT) you're still able to use your truck. And don't forget about grabbing a 1 1/4" front sway bar off a one ton truck while you're at it. I built a little stand with some scrap metal just big enough to slide my floor jack under and just jacked everything into place and bolted it up when I was ready. I used metal but you can just as easily build one out of some scrap 2x4's.

[forestb]

Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think you have to use the entire front cross member. I think you can drill out the holes for the u bolts so that they fit the 73-87 u bolts and then bolt on the 73-87 upper and lower control arms. I have not done this before but it has been discussed in other threads. Doing it this way will allow you to keep your engine in the truck while you do the job and you will not need to drill new holes in the frame.

[72freak]

We just did the same with a 75 C10 front end. 2 hours and we were done start to finish. Roll it out, drill a few holes and roll it under and bolt together. Forget all that controll arm swapping and ball joint swapping!

[Captainfab]

It all depends what you want in the end. As said above you can make the swap in a few hours (with engine removed) as long as you don't mind driving it at stock height and with stock parts. Then you can replace worn parts when you have time. But if you are one that has to have everything new and or want dropped spindles and springs, then just tear apart your original suspension down to the crossmember and start rebuilding from there. Of course you can also rebuild the entire '73-'87 suspension at your leisure and then swap the complete assembly in a weekend.